Path of Dragons

Book 8: Chapter 60: Desolation

There were so many. More than Elijah could have ever expected, in fact. Even having experienced the near constant flow of monsters, he’d lacked the context necessary to truly understand just how ubiquitous the mutated creatures really were. But after trekking across the ruined planet for more than three days, he’d begun to understand the true meaning of the word infestation.

The variety was staggering, and Elijah had stopped even trying to catalogue the different types of monsters he’d encountered. Thankfully, very few were capable of seeing through Guise of the Unseen, and the ones that could were easily avoided. So, he wasn’t in that much danger unless he made a misstep.

If that happened, he’d be back to square one. He had an escape plan, but it wasn’t one he wanted to employ. So, he’d leveraged multiple facets of his mind toward the task of avoiding that fate.

And it was exhausting.

His body could keep going for days yet without rest, but his mind – as advanced as it had become – needed a rest.

But there was none to be had. Every nook and cranny was crawling with monsters. There was no solace. No break. His only option was to keep going until he could find the entrance to the Shifting Labyrinth.

The only good thing was that the Vey’thaalians had given him directions, and because of the rising ethera, he felt that it wouldn’t be long before he arrived at his destination. What would happen then was anyone’s guess, but Elijah suspected that he wouldn’t soon get a break.

With that in mind, he slinked across the ruined world, passing through massive ruins that, even in their crumbling state, maintained the style he’d seen back in Vey’thaal. One thing was abundantly clear, though – they had settled the vast majority of the planet. There was almost no open space for nature to take hold, and where it maintained its grip, the flora was just as twisted as the ubiquitous monsters.

It was a mockery of all things natural, and it left Elijah feeling incredibly resentful. He wanted nothing more than to continue his one-man war against the monsters, though he knew it would be a waste of time. For one, the Primal Realm was not real. No matter what his senses told him, the place had been created by the system, and for only one purpose. Second, killing the creatures would no longer offer him anything more than a tiny trickle of experience that wouldn’t even move the needle. If he wanted to progress, he needed different challenges.

Aside from his own survival, Elijah knew there was too much at stake to risk that eventuality. So, he crept along, tamping down on his instincts as he searched for the entrance to the Abyssal Glassworks.

Along the way, he discovered a large building that he soon established as a library, not unlike the one he’d found in the Trial of Primacy. However, in this instance, there was no formless guard keeping him contained, so he spent a little time searching for information. Most of the crystals were damaged and unusable, but he did find a few that were still intact. From their names, they contained useful information, but without an appropriate class, he couldn’t find much more than the tables of contents. Still, he slipped them into his Ghoul-Hide Satchel.

But the most important feature of the library was that the monsters avoided it entirely. That gave Elijah a chance to relax – albeit only a little – eat something, and get a few hours of restless sleep. He even made a cup of coffee, as much for the taste of familiarity as for the buff it provided.

After that, Elijah tried to discern why the monsters might avoid the library, but he found nothing that pointed in that direction. So, once he was rested, he moved on. The next three days forced him to circumvent a large lake which was absolutely teeming with monsters. Most weren’t powerful enough to threaten him individually, but Elijah sensed plenty of strength in the depths. He had no interest in chancing it, so he decided to go around.

Half a day after reaching the other side of the lake, he found something incredibly disturbing.

He stood atop a pile of rubble, looking past the mass of monsters streaming past. Thankfully, they typically took the easiest path, so they never even considered climbing the pile of rocks. That gave Elijah the opportunity to study the phenomenon in front of him. And he couldn’t describe it as anything but disgusting.

It was difficult to see past the monsters, they were so thick on the ground. Yet, Elijah could feel it all the same. The pulsating sphincter was almost identical to the one he’d been dragged through to enter the Primal Realm, and yet, it was far more expansive. More, the fleshy apron of tendrils surrounding it stretched for nearly fifty feet in every direction. Every few seconds, the sphincter would seize before spewing forth slime-coated monsters. Those creatures took only a few seconds to get their malformed feet under them, but the second they did, they let out piercing shrieks and joined the sea of other creatures.

For a moment, Elijah considered trying to close it. If the thing was flesh, then he could kill it. Perhaps that was a way to avoid some of the dangers, just as the old man in the Desolate Reach had given them the ability to use the portals to bypass the wall. But Elijah knew he’d never survive it.

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As powerful as he’d become, the number of monsters in the area was far too overwhelming for him to fight. The moment he attacked the sphincter, he’d be swarmed. And he knew from his experiences outside the walls of Vey’thaal, he wouldn’t last long after that.

So, it was with some regret that he moved on, carefully picking his way past the fleshy font of monsters, but he was relieved to find that the population of mutated creatures thinned soon after. There were still plenty around, but they weren’t nearly as prevalent as they’d been around the malformed maw.

Elijah took that opportunity to rest a little, then moved on.

That established a pattern he followed for the next week. Thankfully, because of his magical canteen, he didn’t have to worry too much about water, and food wasn’t a problem yet. However, he knew that if it took him much longer to find the Abyssal Glassworks, he would need to start thinking about rationing.

Over the next few days, Elijah saw more of what he’d come to think of as spawn points. Some spewed forth massive monsters, while others tended toward swarms. He even found one that erupted with a flock of harpies. The only unifying factor was that they were all disgusting.

Being on his guard the entire time felt a little like being back in his first tower, when he’d been forced to pass through the Sea of Sorrows, where everything was trying to kill him. This time, he had Guise of the Unseen to shield him, but as Elijah had discovered with the adult flesh spider, it wasn’t exactly foolproof. One wrong step, and he’d be swarmed. So, he took great caution as he traversed the ruined landscape. The resulting tension was so pervasive that he found himself jumping at every movement.

More than once, Elijah was forced to take cover as he waited for a swarm of monsters to pass him by. Those were some of the tensest moments, but Elijah had long since established enough bodily control to keep from getting their attention. But that wasn’t to say there weren’t plenty of close calls. There were, and far too many to count.

Yet, Elijah persisted.

Though he knew good and well that most others would have died. If people without his advantages were to have attempted such a crossing, it would have taken an entire army. And even then, there was a good chance they would have quickly been overwhelmed.

Perhaps there were some advantages to being thrust into the situation alone, after all.

At the end of his third week, Elijah finally reached his destination. Back in Vey’thaal, Eres had described already described it to him, so the second he saw the tranquil pool, he knew it for what it was.

According to the intel that he’d gotten from the Vey’thaalians, the Abyssal Glassworks was a flooded, maze-like, subterranean area that had claimed the lives of everyone who’d attempted to enter. After that came the Veinroot Hollows. Information on that region was thin on the ground, but some of the Vey’thaalians had classes that gave them some insight into its nature. They spoke of vines and fleshy tendrils, which didn’t sound very inviting to Elijah.

And finally, there was the Forge of the Fleshwright. The information on how all that worked was very sparse, though the Vey’thaalians claimed that it would be quite deadly, as if he needed them to tell him that. It was a Primal Realm. Of course it would be deadly.

Not that they knew they were in a Primal Realm at all. From their perspective, theirs was a population fighting for their own survival, not unlike the people of Ka’arath. To them, he was a summoned hero who represented their last chance for survival. It would have felt like a lot of responsibility if Elijah didn’t keep in mind that none of it was real. Even if he conquered the realm, the cycle would begin anew once everything reset.

But he was more worried about his planet than the people of Vey’thaal. They’d treated him well, but he couldn’t concern himself with their fate. They couldn’t be saved, but Earth’s population certainly could.

With that in mind, he crept closer to the glassy pool. Amidst so much rubble and activity, the tranquil body of water seemed entirely out of place. And when Elijah got close, he was a little surprised when he felt nothing within those waters.

Of course, the area surrounding the pool didn’t live up to that claim. It was absolutely packed with swarming monsters. They ran, shoulder-to-shoulder, biting at one another at least as much as they focused on running toward the distant Vey’thaal.

For a long time, Elijah just stood on the edge of the pool, staring into its depths. He could sense quite a long way down, and it was absolutely saturated with vitality. However, there was no life in there. Not even any microbes.

But eventually, Elijah couldn’t delay any longer. If he wanted to overcome the Primal Realm and conquer the challenges therein, he had no choice but to take the plunge – both proverbially and literally. So, it was with some trepidation that he slipped into the water and started swimming down.

The pool was more than large enough to accommodate his Shape of the Sea – it was more like a large pond than anything – but he didn’t want to drop Guise of the Unseen so close to the surface. For all he knew, the monsters would sense his presence and leap in after him.

So, he swam deeper, relying on his Ring of Aquatic Travel to mitigate his need for oxygen. However, after a little more than a thousand feet, he encountered an issue he hadn’t expected.

The pressure settled onto him like a heavy weight, and with each foot he descended, it squeezed him even tighter. After another thousand or so feet, he had no choice but to shift into the Shape of the Sea, which was invulnerable to such problems. Elijah wasn’t sure if it was just a characteristic of the form or if it was due to his much higher Constitution attribute, but when he took on the leviathan form, it came with a wave of relief.

In that form, he could move much more quickly, though it still took him quite a long time before he reached the bottom. Thousands of feet below the surface, he followed the pool as it shifted, opening into a vast, underwater cavern. Elijah couldn’t even begin to sense just how large it was.

He tread water for a while, just looking at the glittering expanse, before he decided there was no point in hesitation. With that in mind, he beat his flippers and propelled himself forward into the Abyssal Glassworks. As he passed through the entryway, a crystal pane slid shut behind him, sealing his fate. There was no chance of retreat. He could only move forward.

With that in mind, he turned his attention on the new environment as he resolved to be ready for anything.